ERYTI

Here's a surtace-ch uggi ng topwater patternthateverv warrnwater fish seems to like.

is the most effective topwater fly you can have in your

bags. And, by the way; it's one of the most popular patterns among the majority

fishers I know. If you find that hard to believe, check out Stewart and

pattern book, Flies for Bass and Panfish.

with the Fence-Rider Frog; unless you're sight-fishing, you

recall the muggy spring morning when I first put the

FISHING THE FENCE-RIDER FROGBass and bluegills have a lot in common. They

often hang out together around shoreline vege-tation and readily take topwater offerings. Theygenerally move from shallow to deeper water dur-ing the brightest period of the day and return toshallower water as dusk approaches.

The most productive times to fish the Fence-Rider Frog are from dawn until midmorning, orlate afternoon until sunset. But there are alwaysexceptions to these rules. If there is heavy cloudcover, it doesn't make much difference when youfish the Fence-Rider Frog because you will gen-erally have productive fishing in the shallowsthroughout the day.

Most of my fishing is done from a float tubeor kick boat because my odds improve when I'min the water with the fish-I feel that a personalwatercraft is the best way to disguise my presenceand get to the fish. I try to fish slowly and qui-etly, keeping as much distance as possiblebetween me and the fish. It's tough to pull off,but stealth should be the order of the day, andpatience a virtue.

The Fence-Rider Frog is relatively light andvirtually snag-proof when equipped with a weed

,~~;,,:,%guard. In fact, to fish it around aquatic vegeta-p,'c'~"*'tion where the bass live, the fly should have a, weed guard.

Early in the season before the vegetationappears, I cast the Fence-Rider Frog onto thebank and work it into the water. I often get astrike shortly after the fly hits the surface. Laterin the season, when vegetation is more preva-lent, I cast the Fence-Rider Frog into the weeds,let it set for a moment or two, and then beginswimming the fly through the vegetation.

Concentrate on fishing in those areas wherethe real frogs live: pockets, holes, cuts, points,or any other irregularities in the weed line. Butdon't pass up an opportunity to cast the Fence-Rider Frog under tree branches, shrubbery, orother land-based vegetation hanging over thewater. These places often contain bass hidingin the shade.

The Fence-Rider Frog is fashioned after DaveWhitlock's diving frog pictured in Flies for Bassand Panfish. But unlike Whitlock's frog and otherbass bugs, most of which are tied on large, heavyhooks, the Fence-Rider Frog is tied on a compar-atively small Sproat hook, the Mustad 3366.Measuring only about two inches long, the Fence-Rider Frog casts easily on a 5- or o-weight rod.

Ward Bean fishes the bass ponds in his home state of Iowa.For more instruction on tying with deer hair, see Dick TaUeur's"Something Old, Something New" column in this issue.

40· FLY TYER

Dressing the

l'Start the.6!O thread at the end €lithe c· • .•

weed guard to the end of the shank andd~wnCoat the threadwraps With thinned Flexarnent, Size

now so yomwon't have to do it later when !n~J~;,erhair;.is+nInsert the tag end of the mono through the h~ok er:; ma~;<~ten the kink with needle-nose pliers, andcut o{ftheexcess.;:ttTie six to eignt strands of pearl KrystalFlash off thebendQf

2 :~:~;::~t~l~ef:;:z~; ~:~skl::.cfi:o;~:i~~~~&:;~e.'farshank, and the other on the near side of the shank, The featherssplay out and be about 1% inches long. Coat the threaclwrapsHexament,

3Tie on a yellow hackle by the tip With the curvedend of the hook. Wrap the hackle from the base of

to the front of the weed guard. The hackle tips shouldbeyond the hook bend. Tie off and clip the thread.

4Start the Flat Waxed Nylon thread atshank with close, tight wraps-to the front of the w",l'id,.c" f'''·r"I'i(''IiK.>;!,;iiiYf'W?:,

a soda-straw size bundle of yellow deef h~ir. Comband short fibers, even the tips, and trim th~,P\Jtt~he nair. Thedeer-hair tips should "''''''''''',",ben~.'Flattenthe yell~w hairs-withthe hook shank Withoutst~<lw.slze bundles of th~ o~?~yeHow-,-ntst olive, then black.and

back and make sever;tl turns of thread.to.form a.tllreaouO;tDfI.as,aifront base of the hair.

S~a~~ee:c~~:~~l~;~::f~~~~~~.~;::;' b:~d~:;~I~~nO~~clbfi~~~:syellow bundle for the belly and stack tne ethercolorsdirectly-on.top,Pack the hair and make several wraps of thread to Keep it in place', KeCilpadding bunches of hair until the hook shank is full. Tie off with apie of half-hitches and dip the thread.

6Remove the fly from the vice and trim the bottom With ablade scissors. Return the fly to the vise. Cut a 'I-inchcsquare<piece

of plastic from a sandwich bag. Poke a hole in the 'center of trneplastidPlace the plastic On the front of the fiXto protect thehafr~.tle offweed guard in front of the plastic. Tie off and dip the thread. CUtplastic from the fly after the wee<1lguara ls.ln place,7:I:::ve theffy from th~ vise. Shape the heaa of the fly With

8Threaa a rubber band onto a large sewing needle. Push the needlthrough the side of the body, threading the rubber I.egthrougnrh

bug. Clip the legs to length. Complete the Fence-Rider Frog bys.ewingadditional rubber legs througn the body.